


Pride of Place

by Reyanth



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Rough Sex, Same-Sex Marriage, Switching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:01:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28831626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reyanth/pseuds/Reyanth
Summary: Malleus Draconia must find a mate before he can be allowed to enroll in Nightraven Academy. One winter ball, he finds the perfect candidate in an overlooked second prince of the Afterglow Savannah, but the political machinations of their families stand in their way. Leona wants nothing more than to give over to his instincts, but will his manipulative brother allow it...?
Relationships: Malleus Draconia/Leona Kingscholar
Comments: 8
Kudos: 54





	1. The Winter Ball

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday, Malleus!!!
> 
> In a rare and special occasion for Malleus' birthday, I am posting all four chapters of this story at once! Please enjoy, but do feel free to share your thoughts on each chapter, as you go!

He should have been preparing to begin his formal education in magic at Nightraven College, at last. However, his attendance had been pushed back yet again this year, and he was beginning to think he would never be deemed ready to leave Faerie.

How many years? How many winter balls? How many princesses paraded by him? How many dances? How many machinations? How many rejections?

Year after year, he was pressed to find a mate—a queen with whom he would eventually rule upon his graduation from Nightraven. Thus, he was not permitted to attend until the matter of his betrothal was settled.

Malleus suspected he would not be attending Nightraven next year, either. As such, he was in no mood to enjoy a party.

"Cheer up, Malleus. Just make the most of the festivities, will you?"

"You forget, Lillia; if my attendance is postponed, you'll be stuck waiting around here another year, too."

''I haven't forgotten anything. I've waited this long. I don't mind hanging around a little longer. Say...three years? Four?"

His eyes were trained on a silver-haired mortal boy passing out horns of wine. The boy wouldn't begin to show signs of magical aptitude for a few years yet... Lillia had always been one to play the long game.

"And if I can never find a mate?" Malleus asked, ignoring the way Lillia's eyes tracked his mortal ward. "If my heart is set against choosing a queen?"

"Then snag yourself a king to share the crown with and stop pretending to be something you're not. This is Faerie. You don't have to hide who you are," scolded the pint-sized vampire.

Malleus sighed, as much for the rehashed argument as for his plight. "A queen...can provide an heir. I don't have the luxury of taking the easy way out."

"Malleus..." One of those rare notes of solemnity in Lillia's voice urged preparedness for a harsh truth that hadn't been spoken between them before. "You're going to outlive any mate you find. There's no rush to secure the royal line."

"Spoken like an immortal courtier with nothing to lose and everything to gain," Malleus said sourly.

Unfazed, Lillia leaned in close to Malleus' ear, grinning deviously. "Now there's a lark. Why not marry me and simplify the succession?" he suggested in a conspiratorial stage whisper.

Malleus snorted. "Sure. Let me know when you figure out how to transform yourself into a seahorse for nine months straight and we'll get right to business."

"Who says I'd be the one giving birth, hm?" Lillia retorted, never missing a beat.

"Lillia..."

"Oh, settle down. No need to be so grave about—"

"Who is that?"

"Who?" Attempting to follow Malleus' line of sight, the vampire frowned in disapproval. "The mermaid with a serious case of landlegs?"

"No..." His voice breathy with admiration, Malleus was captivated. "With the ears and the tail. The one who looks like he's wondering if fish is on the menu."

"Oh, him? Nobody, really. I mean, he's a Kingscholar, but—"

"Kingscholar? The royal family of the Afterglow Savannah?" The wheels began to creak into motion. "He's a true prince?"

A noise of dismissal expressed Lillia's thoughts on where Malleus was headed. "Putting it that way would be...polite. Technically, yes, he's a prince. But he'll never be king. His older brother already has an heir."

He was beautiful. With skin the shade of willow bark and eyes as lush as the greenest plains of his kingdom, he was as different from moonkissed, ether-eyed Malleus as could be. What really made him stand out was the fire that sung in his every subtle motion, like the sun peeking out between banks of cloud. He was reserved, seeming sleepily uninterested in anything going on around him, except for when his gaze alighted on something he desired and the fire flared bright in his eyes.

Watching and waiting, Malleus finally saw it happen again, and almost missed the fact that it was he who had attracted that sharp, predatory stare. Heat travelled between them and lit him up for one brief moment, until the lordly lion's gaze slid on by as if nothing had changed.

"Oh, no, young man. Not that one. That one's bad news. Just look at that 'too cool for rules' swagger and lazy posture. You can do much better than... Malleus? Oh, for..." Perhaps realizing that he was contradicting the advice he always gave the fae prince to think with his head while steering with his heart, Lillia threw his hands up. "Keep it to a fling, okay? Forget what I said, earlier. Do what you want, once, and get him out of your system."

"Thank you for your advice," Malleus said absently, taking hold of the thin trunk of a soaring pine tree and passing behind and around it, swinging himself in the direction of the magnificent predator moving among the crowd.

As one, they entered into a sort of danse macarbe, each stalking the other while being stalked in turn. Navigating the dancing, drinking, mingling denizens of Faerie and their illustrious guests, they circled together. Malleus, unhindered by social niceties by the sheer weight of his reputation, made no pretenses. The Kingscholar prince pretended not to be watching―drinking and responding gruffly to greetings and advances as he perfectly tracked and mirrored the stalker he stalked.

When he grew weary of the game, Malleus slipped off into a thicket, setting off a flight of wisps who chattered up into trees like a dervish of sparks. He was still staring up at their receding glow when he sensed the danger of a predator at his back.

He maintained his posture, showing no sign that he was aware he had been followed. To his surprise, the majestic lion, for all his pride and power, acted with caution, taking a wide berth and circling around into Malleus' line of sight. He then leaned back against a tree, seemingly indolent, though honed his muscles would no doubt respond to his whims in a fraction of a heartbeat.

"Get a good eyeful?" he asked, in a deep voice like thunder rolling lazily across the plains. "Ever heard of Magicam? You could stare all day and I wouldn't have to suffer the weight of it."

In all of his years, Malleus had never once been addressed with such blatant disrespect. His rearing would have him tear out the therian's insolent throat. His instinct, however, was to stay his pride. Something told him that pride was one area in which he would fall short compared to this bold young man, barely out of boyhood.

"Do you know who I am?" Malleus asked mildly, purely curious as to whether it was courage or ignorance that loosened the Kingscholar's tongue.

"You're the man of the hour, aren't you? The belle of the ball, as they say. Malleus Draconia."

A surprised chuckle escaped Malleus' throat, along with a tiny gout of flame. He decided to put the question of courage versus stupidity aside for a moment.

He drew a little closer, fascinated by the effect of his proximity on those tufty little ears. "As it happens, I have heard of Magicam. Whose name, then, would I search if I was of a mind to stare all day long without being a burden?"

He wondered how those ears would feel under his fingers. Were they sensitive? If he rubbed the tips, what kind of reaction might he elicit? Something about the flimsy, flexible composition made him want to try biting them...

"Oi..." 

A swish caught Malleus' eye as a tail that seemed to have a life of its own expressed some agitated emotion without its owner's permission. Clearly, something of Malleus' thoughts had shown through in his demeanor.

"Your name?" he prompted, careful to keep his eyes from straying away from those warm, green pools again.

"Leona. Kingscholar," stated the prince, a little recalcitrance in his tone. "And don't bother looking me up on Magicam. I don't waste my time with that crap."

"That's too bad," Malleus murmured, genuinely disappointed, because he had actually been considering getting into it if it meant he could see more of Leona.

*

The moment their eyes locked amidst the bustle of the fairy banquet, Leona recognized something of the predator in Malleus. He wasn't a hunter, however. Malleus preyed on lesser creatures simply because they were his for the taking, more like the crocodile who snatched up unwary passers by than the lioness who stalked and ran down her prey. It was that confident complacency that ignited Leona's blood, calling him to the challenge.

He never would have imagined he was biting off more than he could chew, but Malleus might just be exactly that. For one thing, the pheromones he was putting out were like a storm to a sensitive therian like Leona. For another, he was simultaneously blunt and oblivious, and trying to read him was driving Leona mad. He'd begun to lose his cool the moment Malleus first spoke.

"Do you know who I am?" was such an uninspired, cliche line that everyone always spoke with the same combination of threat and disdain. Except Malleus. From him, it was a genuine question, posed lightly and paired with just enough surprise that Leona believed it and answered accordingly.

Soon after that, the shadow of lust that began to gather in bright green eyes set Leona's hair on edge. Hackles raised, he rapidly found himself on the defensive, feeling increasingly cornered as Malleus neared him. Together with the storm of pheromones was an indomitable presence both magical and mental that was incredibly daunting.

The conversation should have come off with a flirty levity, but Malleus' earnest tone, underpinned by that presence and the sheer lust in the air, made it impossible to take anything he said lightly.

There was only one way to regain an equal footing, even if that meant sending them both crashing to the ground. In an act of desperation unbecoming of his majestic bearing, Leona reached out and hooked his fingers about Malleus' neck, lunging forward to claim the fae prince's lips in a hungry kiss accompanied by a rumbling growl and a crash of thunder.

The moment was like the heavy, charged atmosphere immediately before a storm, and then came the powerful crack of light and sound that gripped Leona's body with startled fear. He tried to retreat, but Malleus wouldn't have it, his fingertips making indents in Leona's cheek, holding him.

When he was finally released, it was on Malleus' terms. The fae prince seemed very pleased with himself, taking a long, slow breath in as if to savor the event. Leona, gasping, wiped his mouth, one foot falling back, and then the other. He was back up against the tree, and now he'd stirred the dragon...

But Malleus was in no hurry. As though content, he smiled a confident little smile, and then turned slowly, like the lead in a partnered dance. He walked away, leaving Leona to wonder what he had brought upon himself.

He left, long before the dawn, traveling back to the Savannah by mirror. Stepping out into Farena's chamber, through the young king's private portal, he stumbled, as if weight and motion suddenly worked differently in this world of reality. It was like stepping out of a dream... Had he been dreaming?

"Welcome back, Leona. How did you enjoy the winter ball?"

Of course Farena was there, waiting. He looked disgustingly smug, draped on the edge of his bed like some kind of decadent ornament.

Leona schooled his expression into a scowl. "Too many flowers," he huffed, brushing some offending petals from his hair.

"Oh? Did you meet the Prince of the Valley?"

There was no way that casual tone was genuine. That meant Farena expected something of Leona and Malleus having met.

"Yeah. So what?" Leona asked, stuffing his hands inside the folds of his sleeves and looking around the room as if it was new to him. Anything was better than looking at Farena's smug face.

"He should be attending Nightraven soon, I hear. If not this year, then―"

"Huh!? He hasn't been!?"

Shocked into meeting his maddening older brother's eyes, Leona frantically thought back to the man he had met... Boy...? Just how old was Malleus? He was so enchanting, Leona had completely forgotten such a mundane concept as age or aging. Malleus looked... He seemed young, somehow, and yet his attitudes and mannerisms were oddly old-fashioned. Yes, Leona could believe he was both younger and older than he appeared.

"It's true that he's older than most students and an exceptional mage by all accounts," explained Farena, taking up a goblet of wine as he rose to his feet. He approached, closing in on the frozen Leona and idly reaching for a curl of brown hair that contrasted the sunset color that was the pride of most Kingscholar progeny. "But even those of such long-lived races attend schools of magic to ensure that magical creeds and learned histories are standardized..."

"He just...seemed so powerful," Leona muttered, marveling that anyone could have an aura more transfixing than this effortless monarch he could never hope to compare with. Yet somehow, Malleus managed it.

"Make no mistake, he is," breathed Farena, lifting Leona's chin on the tip of a claw to burn the gravity of the statement into his little brother with a spellbinding gaze. It lasted an instant, and then Farena trudged casually back toward his bed. "That's exactly why it's anticipated that he should enroll sooner rather than later." He flopped down, wine sloshing but not quite spilling over the jeweled goblet's rim.

"Whatever. Malleus Draconia's schooling is none of my business," Leona decided, judging it wise to get out of Farena's territory before the wine went to the king's head. Farena was a clingy drunk.


	2. Of Beasts and Kings

Leona's first year at Nightraven was a blessed reprieve from palace life in Farena's shadow. At first, a lot of his classmates, and even those situated above him, tried to befriend the "handsome royal" in their midst. Leona quickly adopted a loner persona and warned off all the opportunists who tried to latch onto him. He didn't find it lonely. Loneliness was growing up next to the definition of perfection, and thus, ever found lacking, and ever set aside in Farena's favor. At least at Nightraven, Leona could finally have some peace and quiet, instead of dancing to Farena's whims all the time.

The only disappointment was that he didn't see even one familiar face among his peers at his entrance ceremony. Malleus Draconia was not going to be at school that year, after all.

The year felt both impossibly fast and unbearably slow. Leona learned some new perspectives, some pointless history, and spells of varying practicality. The one thing he looked forward to was Magic Shift. His royal blood earned him a tryout, but his skill secured him a place.

And just like that, the winter holidays settled in. Once again, Leona was sent to the Valley of Thorns to attend the Winter Ball in Farena's stead. The crown prince, Cheka, had gotten into some hot water with a zebra tribe that Farena the parent had to straighten out. So the second son played at being a prince again. He was a little rusty. Not that it mattered.

As it turned out, Leona never got to see much of the ball. There was no weaving among dancers, no feasting, no diplomatic mingling... Just a grumpy short-ass with an axe to grind.

"Why I have to wait here for you to show up is a mystery. Honestly. I don't know what Malleus thinks he is thinking! Well, come on, then. It's rude to keep the birthday boy waiting."

Leona was taken aback by the little boy who spoke like an old man, referring to the Prince of the Valley like some misguided youth in need of a scolding. As a result, he failed to question the boy, and only recognized the clearing when he was abandoned there with an order to "Stay put. Not that felines are particularly inclined to listen..." Because he did recognize the clearing from the previous year, Leona did stay. This was where he and Malleus Draconia had made each others' acquaintances... Where Leona's year-long musings had begun, gradually whipping up into a quiet obsession.

He didn't have to wait unbearably long, but he did get rather bored rather quickly. At last, a subtle shift in the atmosphere that could only herald the presence of the powerful fae prince told Leona that the moment he had been waiting for all year long was upon him.

Leaves crunched underfoot, almost intentionally, and then there was an anticipatory rasp of breath at Leona's back before his hair was caught in a light grip and his neck hauled around. His head craned back, he let Malleus hold him, leaning over him and kissing him deeply, drawing a growl from him that grew louder by the second.

From the moment he felt Malleus draw near, all control of any kind was out of Leona's hands. Whether it was some mysterious power of Malleus', or a result of his own built-up libido, Leona fell right under the fae prince's spell. While he wanted to sweep Malleus into his own arms and have his way with the beautiful man, there was something thrilling about the strength and power that washed over him, dominating his body and soul without compromise. When Malleus tugged at his hair, his body shifted around to press against the prince's in accordance with the will that tamed him. His growl dissipated into a soft moan and he clung to Malleus' waist as he was gently lowered to the forest floor. 

The tip of a horn grazed Leona's cheek as Malleus kissed down his neck, untying the laces that fixed his traditional garb closed. Had he had this exact scenario in mind when he chose to dress in his royal raiment? With ease, Malleus had him undressed from the waist up, tonguing his hardening nipples, scraping his skin with sharp teeth, and soothing it with sensual lips.

Leona's jaw dropped open and his body arched as a purr rumbled in his chest. He reached down, clawing at Malleus' clothing until the fae pulled off his own layers of formal wear, his shoulders working as he all but tore his long coat off and hauled off his tunic. It caught on his horns, and Leona helped to free him, almost taking a spear to the eye.

He admired the lithe musculature secreted under all those black layers, and the almost translucent skin contrasted with his own bronzed body. His hands touched where his eyes wandered, until a soft growl caught his attention. Malleus was frozen, staring intently down at him as if his touch somehow burned.

The moment his hands paused, Malleus was on him, kissing him again as a generous erection ground into his own. The pace and force of Malleus' thrusting, rubbing hips was unstoppable, and Leona lost all reason, roaring when Malleus bit his jaw and dragging his nails down the fae prince's back.

He tried to figure out how to take control, how to get Malleus on his back...but Malleus wouldn't budge, and Leona had no thought to spare for strategy. He was at Malleus' mercy.

The laces keeping his throbbing cock bound in loose trousers were disrupted by the violent grinding, and a light tug of Malleus' nails at the side pulled them open, sliding easily down his thighs until raw, leather hide caressed his swollen length, stretched tight over the fae's endowment. But Malleus didn't pause to remove his own trappings, relentlessly grinding into Leona with a maddening intensity that made the therian's breath quicken and his whole body flush with heat.

"Hold on," he gasped. "I'm gonna—"

Choking on a moan, Leona fought his body's urges, but it was too late; he was already in the grip of a strong, swift orgasm...and by the time he came down, he was face down with the weight of Malleus bearing down on his back. Panting, he tried to push himself up, but he was still feeling weak and shuddery. A gentle stroke of fingers down his spine urged him to relax.

"I've been dreaming of this," Malleus murmured.

So had Leona. He just never imagined it would play out quite like this. He gritted his teeth, realizing that he was already resigned to this role reversal from what he himself had fantasized. Malleus was just too powerful, and too overwhelming. He wasn't afraid, or angry... All that was wounded was his pride... But if he could accept that anyone was going to take him like this, it could only be the fae prince who had dominated his heart for so long after just one brief conversation in the woods.

Still... He had his pride.

Gathering his strength, Leona scrambled out from under Malleus and dashed toward a tree, turning his back to it for cover. He was breathing hard, utterly disheveled, his torso speckled with dirt, and he felt ridiculous trying to stare down the randy crown prince, whose grace and posture evoked his draconian namesake as he rose to his feet. He was graceful, yes, but he was also like a beast—like a predatory feline, like... 

Suddenly, Leona recognized something in Malleus he hadn't been aware of before. Leona was used to standing atop the food chain. Nothing could beat a lion in a fair, one-on-one fight for survival... Nothing but a dragon. It wasn't just his hierarchy among royalty in which Malleus outranked him... The king of the jungle was barely a contender in the fae realm.

For the first time, Leona did feel a drop of pure, undiluted fear that traveled down his spine...and strangely awoke a fresh tingle in his groin. Not even the strength that emanated off Farena had ever made him feel so outgunned. He swallowed heavily, and took in a shaky breath as Malleus pressed up against him, stroking his sticky, dirt-covered crotch.

"I intimidate you," Malleus breathed, causing a bouquet of floral scents to waft up Leona's nostrils, surprisingly not diminished by a tinge of brimstone. "I have that effect on just about everyone. It's nothing to be ashamed of... I am, however, pleased to find that it turns you on."

"What are you talking ab—!?" Leona cut off, his throat closing as a grunt of surprise caught in it.

A torrent of water washed him down in a moment, leaving him wet and dripping, yet surprisingly warm. Smirking, Malleus dropped to his knees. The one who towered over the king of beasts...was kneeling in the dirt, stretching his tongue out to play with the twitching head of Leona's cock.

It wasn't a blow job the likes of which Leona had ever heard of, but he was quickly reduced to a moaning mess by the way that tongue played over his sensitive skin, lined with veins that began to throb with increasing insistence. Malleus' lips only closed over the very tip of his erection, pursing and suckling between forays of the tongue. Leona wanted to reach out and grab the horns that jutted up in front of his belly, and hold onto them while he thrust all the way down that regal throat...but he didn't have a death wish, so he dug his nails into the bark of the tree at his back, instead, shaking droplets of water from his fringe before they dripped into his eyes.

He almost protested when Malleus' forefinger began to delve up inside of him. It was a sensation unlike his own minor experimentation that wasn't entirely unpleasant but that he wasn't certain he liked, either, but Malleus' tongue was doing its best to try and worm its way into the throbbing hole of his urethra. Whimpering, Leona shoved the back of his hand so hard against his lips they nearly bruised against his teeth. Then, Malleus' finger breached all the way inside of him and curled to stroke a wall of flesh utterly sensitive to the touch. He whimpered louder, biting down on his lip to try and silence the involuntary sound.

Leaning his head back against the tree trunk, Leona panted and gasped as Malleus began to stretch and explore inside of him until his knees felt weak and his neck ached from the strain of holding back exclamations and curses. The next thing he knew, Leona's forehead was pressed into the tree bark as Malleus simply vanished his remaining clothes with the wave of a hand, his bare cock nestling almost familiarly between Leona's ass cheeks.

"I was afraid you wouldn't come, my brave lion," Malleus whispered against the nape of Leona's neck. "You made no mention of the journey on Magicam, as you are wont to do when traveling on royal commission. I assumed it would be your brother, the king, who Lilia collected at the mirror and brought to me to discuss terms."

"Terms...?"

A chuckle full of ash and starlight made Leona's skin prickle and tingle in a wave of simultaneous delight and horror.

"Never mind. It's irrelevant. You're mine, now, by your own choice. King Farena's will in the matter is obsolete."

Confused, Leona tried to understand, but his attention caught on the promise of thwarting Farena in something... Malleus understood him. Malleus took as much pleasure in beating Farena at his own game—whatever it may be—as Leona did.

"I wasn't going to come," Leona breathed, wondering how long Malleus was going to taunt him like this. The heat of that thick hardness just resting against his hole was somewhere between a threat and a promise, but either way, Leona just wanted the wait to be over. He refused to admit that, though, and so he schooled himself, taking a deep breath and finishing his statement. "Farena was waylaid by the antics of his brat...so I'm here."

"Remind me to send Prince Cheka a thank you note," Malleus hummed, his nose and cheek brushing against Leona's skull, as if he were savoring every inch of contact before his senses were diverted upon taking the plunge.

"Why are you toying with me?" Leona finally groaned, shuddering with a jolt of anticipation that made his freshly erected cock wobble and weep.

"You are no toy in my eyes, Leona Kingscholar. You are my future."

With a cry, Leona surged up against the tree trunk as Malleus pressed into him, combating his virginal tightness with brute strength that made the initial penetration blessedly quick. Leona was seeing fireworks behind his eyes, his whole body tensed to breaking, but Malleus stroked his skin, soothing him until the tension left him in increments.

Sweeping Leona's hair over one shoulder, Malleus planted a kiss on the side of his neck. "Brace yourself," warned the fae.

Leona didn't waste time arguing. He did as he was told, and was glad for it, when Malleus slowly dragged his hips back and then slammed them home again. His hold on the tree began to slip until Leona was hugging the trunk with one arm and shielding his face with the other, rocking under the force of Malleus' thrusts and held up only by the fingers embedded in his hip.

"You're mine, now," Malleus had said... Those words echoed in Leona's head, bouncing around as his body was jolted and shaken. Instead of fading, the echo grew louder, lending him strength until Leona had both arms braced against the tree, pushing his hips back into Malleus' every thrust.

He was no passive cub, submitting to the large and mighty paw of a grown beast. He didn't belong to Malleus. Malleus belonged to him! And the fae prince was about to find that out.

Squeezing his ass cheeks tight around the seemingly immense pole rammed up inside of him, Leona arched his torso, reaching up behind him in a wild grab that tangled his fingers in Malleus' hair and tugged the fae's head down to his level. The move threw his lover off balance and almost sent them both toppling, forcing Malleus to grab onto a branch and curl his arm around Leona's waist to keep them on their feet. He might still have maintained his composure if his trajectory hadn't threatened to rake Leona's ear with a nasty horn tip. In dodging, his eyes wide with surprise, he tilted his face just enough so that Leona could latch onto his mouth with lips and teeth, dominating him in a fierce kiss against all odds.

Sinking slowly to his knees and dragging Leona with him, Malleus conceded to the kiss, his hand creeping up Leona's torso and holding him steady as the lion prince used his new position of height and power to thrust himself down onto Malleus' jutting cock, using the tree for balance and working thighs, honed over his year at Nightraven.

The power move didn't last for long, though. It wasn't the most sustainable of positions, and soon, Malleus had him on hands and knees in the dirt and was fucking him roughly, to star-studded completion.

"Roar like you mean it, my proud lion," Malleus rasped, in a manner that made Leona want to do just that.

His roar was matched as Malleus joined him in a fitful eruption of ecstasy that almost made Leona's insides melt. He collapsed into the dirt once more, trembling with weakness and drenched in as much sweat as water. His lip was bleeding, stinging brutally and leaking molten iron onto his tongue; cut either by his own teeth or by Malleus'. He could still feel Malleus within him, heavy and snug, even after diminishing in orgasm. He was almost afraid to feel that length slide out of him, but also reluctant simply to feel its loss. Malleus was a warm, heavy weight on his back, the uncompromising jut of a horn crushing Leona's ear as their cheeks were pressed together, the both of them breathing heavily, too worn for words.

When Malleus did find the strength to move, slipping out of him far more easily than he expected, Leona found himself irritated, and he glared at the fae prince, who flopped onto his back, looking enviably comfortable there on the forest floor, littered with dirt and leaves. Leona, meanwhile, knew he would be moving gingerly for days at the least, and couldn't even consider thudding into the ground like that for fear of passing out.

Turning his face to gaze at the bitter expression Leona wore, Malleus looked surprised not to be immediately complimented and showered with praise. His eyes lit with some kind of understanding...though he was jumping to conclusions.

"You didn't like that."

There were a million things Leona could say to that, but some vulnerability in him that wanted Malleus to like and understand him caused him to tell the honest truth. "I've never..."

Shock lit Malleus' eyes and he surged toward Leona, then pulled away, all in one awkward motion. "Don't tell me you were a virgin!"

"No..." Leona responded tiredly. "I've just never...done it like that," he said, keenly aware of an embarrassing blush that freshly stained his cheeks. "I'm not...used to being..." He cleared his throat. "I'm not a bottom."

The panic filtered from Malleus' face, and he stared at Leona in silent contemplation for a short while. "That was insensitive of me," he confessed. "It never occurred to me you might prefer—"

"Well, I do," Leona muttered.

"I'll keep that in mind," Malleus whispered, lazily reaching out to curl a lock of Leona's hair about his finger while gazing languidly into Leona's eyes.

He wasn't as resentful as he made out... He hurt all over, and any muscles that didn't hurt yet were guaranteed to be in grave pain later. Even so... Malleus had felt incredible inside of him once the initial awkwardness subsided. The chemistry and understanding between them was something else, too. Leona had never experienced passion quite that raw and primal, and he doubted that few ever had.

Easing onto his hip so he could pillow his face on his arms, Leona gazed back, quietly caught up in a moment of peace. Malleus was elegance itself...so beautiful in the embrace of the darkness, with only a slight sheen of moonlight to highlight his form.

The sleep that took him was calm and gentle, and the sight of Malleus, burned into his eyelids, stayed with him until the clearing was bathed in sunlight, waking him just as gently. Malleus was gone. The party had dispersed with the dawn, and Leona hadn't set foot among it.

Sore, exhausted, tattered, and painted with a thousand marks of shame, Leona emerged from the mirror to find Farena lying in bed with a heavily sleeping Cheka hugging his waist. The brothers' eyes met for a long, charged moment, as Leona waited for the barbed criticism to tear down the last of his defenses.

"Thank you for filling in," Farena said, eventually.

His eyes were shadowed with conflicting sentiments, but he held his tongue from what he surely wanted to say. All things aside, his gratitude was genuine.

Leona had briefly wondered if the stunt with Cheka hadn't been a set-up, but now he was convinced it was not. Whatever political machinations the kingly pair were playing out were beyond his ken. Leona was too tired and uncertain to care.

Things had escalated so fast, he hadn't asked Malleus any of the myriad questions that had occurred to him over the year since their original meeting. After fucking him, Malleus had left him insensible in the dirt without any questions or promises...without any words of sentiment or closure. Just what did Malleus want with him? Or had he already taken and discarded it?

Leona wasn't sure whether he felt used, wanted, accepted, or rejected. He trudged to the baths to wash away all evidence of what had passed before he could tarnish the royal Kingscholar reputation with his disreputable appearance. It wouldn't do for Cheka to see him like that. The little prince would either freak out or start asking a thousand questions Leona didn't know how to answer.

As he sank into the water, Leona remembered that Malleus had mentioned writing a thank you note to Cheka... All of a sudden, he wondered if their worlds didn't have to remain so far apart for so long. Both he and Malleus were princes. They had duties and commitments, but there was no reason those duties could not coincide... Or, perhaps this would be the year Malleus Draconia enrolled in Nightraven, so they could be together. Smiling, Leona let the water lift him, taking the burden of some of his cares.

The memories came to him clearly, with Malleus' voice like ground, black diamonds sounding vividly in his head.

_I was afraid you wouldn't come, my brave lion._

_You're mine, now, by your own choice._

_Remind me to send Prince Cheka a thank you note._

_You are no toy in my eyes, Leona Kingscholar._

_You are my future._

_I'll keep that in mind._

His eyes drifting open, Leona stared up at the clear, blue sky of the Afterglow Savannah.

_You're mine, now._

_You are my future._

Malleus wasn't done with him. He couldn't be.


	3. Garden of Tomorrows

The heat of the plains was wearing on the party from the Valley of Thorns, that much was obvious. Malleus Draconia, however, concealed his discomfort well. For all the sweat beading on his skin, his expression was mild and placid, and he conducted himself gracefully.

The procession of greetings had been the worst, especially for Leona. Nothing in the world rankled more than the moment he was forced to bow before his kid nephew, who thoroughly outranked him. Almost as bad was holding still, his claws biting into his fists as he watched Malleus bow to the little prince. By all rights, Malleus should have bowed only to Farena, who outranked him purely my merit of his title. Once Malleus was crowned, he would be obliged to bow to nobody, ever. And yet, there he was, playing games and giving Cheka a courtly dip.

Cheka absolutely adored him, dragging Malleus into a playful dance in front of the eyes of the court during the evening ball. The foreign prince willingly joined him, spinning the little lion cub around, up into the air, and then catching him up in arms much stronger than they appeared. A giggling, squealing Cheka was soon purring, and rubbing his cheek against a sleek horn as Malleus carried the boy on his shoulder, back to his father's throne.

"I do apologize for my son's rambunctious behavior, Prince Draconia," said Farena, regally.

A growling snort puffed out from Leona's nose. Farena wasn't sorry for a damn thing. He'd probably been behind the whole spectacle, and the amusement was evident in his barely concealed mirth.

"Not at all, King...Kingscholar," said Malleus, intentionally stumbling over the ridiculous double address. 

"Farena, please," drawled the therian king, leaning his elbow on the arm of his throne and placing his cheek in his hand. He looked coyly up at Malleus through his thick lashes and said quietly, "Though perhaps there is another prince with whom you would prefer to dance?" His eyes slid ever so slightly toward Leona. "I believe you might recall my dear brother."

"Very well, indeed," Malleus acknowledged, favoring Leona with a look so similar to Farena's, it inspired a tingling in Leona's spine. "I have so enjoyed the lively, ceremonial festivities here today," Malleus continued. "However, I am not at all accustomed to the heat of your lands. Perhaps Prince Leona might give me a tour of the water gardens I've heard tell of."

"Prince Leona would be delighted," answered Farena before Leona could so much as curl a lip.

It wasn't that he objected to being alone with Malleus—on the contrary, it was all he'd been thinking about, all day. He just reviled being manipulated into doing Farena's bidding.

Bowing and holding out his arm, so as to avoid the requirement of using any titles at all simply by opening his mouth, Leona led their guest through the throng, which parted ahead of them. He couldn't completely disguise his irritation, his ears sticking so flatly to his skull, he could feel them bearing down. Once they were out of sight of the majority of guests, the relief was like a weight lifting off of him, and he closed his eyes for a moment.

"Take me to the water gardens," Malleus murmured.

For a moment, Leona almost snapped that he knew where they were going, but then the soft, deep tone registered in his mind, and he heard the subtext behind the words.

Take me to a place where we can be alone.

The water gardens would serve very well for that, and also provide the sweltering prince a little relief from the Savannah heat, the earth still radiating with warmth from its daily baking, even though the sun had retired from the sky. It would begin to grow cold in a few hours, but for now, the pleasant cool of the water gardens would be a mercy, and the the thick vegetation and sounds of bubbling fountains would be a concealment.

As soon as they reached a private spot, the path secured by the guards who had followed them at a distance, Leona pulled Malleus into his embrace. He took in a deep breath, filling his head with a very mild scent, vaguely reminiscent of jasmine, that came off Malleus' damp skin.

His lips lingered just shy of Malleus' jaw. He wanted to kiss it, to lick the skin and taste Malleus' sweat, but he waited, savoring the sheer luxury of proximity. Before he moved to take advantage of their privacy, Malleus turned his head and tilted his neck, thrusting his lips against Leona's.

It was a chaste kiss, for them. No tongue, no teeth, just lips meeting and brushing once before parting. Malleus' dark lashes parted prettily to reveal his bright, green irises, staring right into Leona's soul. He waited, saying nothing.

Leona thought about kissing him again, about ravishing and taking Malleus right then and there, but he hesitated. There were questions that needed asking, and other kinds of connections to be made. He wanted to know Malleus, not just bed him.

"I heard you should have come to Nightraven years ago," he said gruffly, searching Malleus' eyes for glimmers entirely unrelated to the topic of conversation. "What's the deal?"

Elegantly, Malleus took a step back, acknowledging the shift in agenda with a slight nod. "You're a student there, yes?"

"I'm a second year," Leona told him, though he obviously knew enough, already. "So what's the hold up? You're older than me, I know you are."

Malleus' eyes strayed to a fountain near their feet, following the course of the water before he spoke. "There's...a condition I must fulfill," he said. "A betrothal."

Leona's brow twitched and crinkled. He felt a painful sort of constriction in his chest. "You're getting engaged?" he muttered, completely blindsided.

He should have known. It should have been beyond obvious. A prince could be free for a time, but a king required a queen. It was Farena, all over again.

"Not yet," Malleus breathed, pressing his palm to Leona's chest, as if sensing the pain there. "That's why I have yet to attend Nightraven."

He was staring into Leona's eyes, as if he could telepathically impart some deep message. Perhaps he could, but it certainly wasn't getting through to Leona. All he could think about was someone else's hands on Malleus' moonbeam skin, their eyes drinking in the dainty lines and curves of his body, their lips on his flesh, their hands on his horns...

"I don't like it," he growled, grabbing Malleus around the waist and crushing their bodies together. "You're mine. Swear to me you won't let anyone else touch you."

To Leona's surprise, Malleus' lips bloomed in a serene smile. "I accept."

"I mean it! I won't... Accept? Accept what?" Leona frowned in confusion, not following the response, at all.

Kissing him with a prick of teeth, Malleus hummed against his lips, still smiling and staring sharply into Leona's eyes, "I accept your proposal."

Leona's body shivered at the words, but his mind rebelled. He shoved the man away. 

"I can't marry you, Malleus!"

It was Malleus' turn to gaze back at him in confusion. "You would have me reserve myself for you. How is that different?"

"We're both men! I'm expected to... To..."

"I've heard that the Afterglow Savannah is very progressive, as are we of Faerie. Your royal family are granted the freedom to marry whoever they wish," said Malleus, suddenly seeming less confident.

"Peasants!" Leona rasped. "Not men! My family would never allow it!"

"Wouldn't they?" His expression hardening, Malleus drew himself up to his full height, his horns piercing the sky above his head. "Then why did they send you to the winter ball for two years straight? You'd hardly be my choice of diplomat," he spat, almost hurtfully, if not for the fact that Leona wholeheartedly agreed. "Unless...there was a heart to be won."

The message was clear. Malleus' heart had been won, and now he was beginning to feel betrayed. If Leona turned him away now, the rejection would be crippling.

"Malleus..."

In spite of his doubts and fears, Leona pulled the fae prince into his arms and kissed him, if only to convey the truth of his feelings without voicing betrayal of his rank and duty. He only meant to appease the beautiful man who suddenly seemed so fragile, but the moment the tips of their tongues connected, he was compelled to taste more of Malleus, ensnared as if by an addiction.

Malleus always had some way of throwing Leona off guard, catching him by surprise, and stealing away his faculties, but this time, Leona knew what he wanted. Whatever Malleus believed, marriage was not an option, but it was too late to take back what they had already shared, and there was no reason they could not continue to do so. Besides, Leona had been dreaming of this moment for seven long months.

"Let me have you," Leona whispered, his forehead touched to Malleus', arms encircling the crown prince. He knew he was asking something difficult in light of Malleus' thwarted expectations. 

Malleus was indeed clearly pained by a request he found contradictory, his draconic fangs bared as he sucked in laden breath, but he nodded, meeting Leona's eyes with a steady gaze. "It's what I've wanted, as well," he said, graciously.

That was all Leona needed to hear. He gripped the back of Malleus' neck hard, pulling the fae prince's head back to an uncomfortable angle and devouring his lips, possessively. Before, he had been a man struck dumb and smitten. Now, he was a lion presented with the prey he had set his sights upon, and nothing would stand in his way.

*

In the months since they had given themselves to one another, Malleus had not considered for a heartbeat the possibility that Leona may not be willing to marry him. He had instructed Lilia to enter into negotiations, and they seemed to be progressing just fine...but clearly, Leona had not been consulted by King Farena or his aides, and he did not appear to much like the idea.

That hurt. The concept of rejection was a foreign one to Malleus, and he was shocked to learn how much pain it could cause. Perhaps that was why it was also such a relief to find that Leona still wanted him. Grateful, he closed his eyes and let Leona have his way. What was the point in struggling for dominance? He had already proven he could take Leona any which way he wanted. Perhaps that was part of why Leona refused him as a husband... He was too overbearing. It was a hazard of shouldering so much power and responsibility. He'd thought Leona, at least, could contend with him...

At first, it wasn't easy to remain passive just to prove that he could, but Malleus soon found himself spellbound by the puzzling combination of intimacy and aggression Leona employed. He enjoyed the sweet caress of predatory nails, and the tongue strokes that followed, consuming his life's blood. Though, this, too, confused him, for the sharing of one's lifeforce was an incredibly personal gesture among the fae, usually reserved for spouses.

Before long, Malleus found himself lying on the cool, moss-covered pavement. It drew some of the fever out of his hot, excited flesh, but his arousal could not be assuaged so easily. Leona hadn't even touched his lower half, yet. Rather, he was devilishly tonguing Malleus' nipples and twisting and crimping them, sending a constant stream of electricity through Malleus' body. When, at last, Leona reached down between Malleus' thighs, the embarrassing string of noises that escaped him were almost too much to bear. He had never imagined his nipples could become so sensitive after receiving so much dedicated attention, and when Leona suckled above his heart, tonguing the bud relentlessly while pinching the other, he nearly came at the slightest touch to his groin. Grasping hold of the long, green leaves of a small bush, Malleus fought his body's weakness, tensing up until the immediate urgency passed.

"Stubborn bastard," Leona complained, doubling his efforts.

Somehow, Malleus held out, but not without consequence. He was throbbing painfully, his whole body on fire. He did not count on Leona's secret weapon.

Changing tactics, Leona unceremoniously stripped down Malleus' hips and thighs, exposing him to the balmy night air. That was nothing, however, compared to the molten heat of Leona's mouth, and when the therian began to purr around him, Malleus lost all control of himself in an instant, wrapping his hand around Leona's head and slamming his hips up deep into the lion's rumbling throat while nearly wrenching the bush he was yanking on out by the roots.

He gave no warning, for he had none, himself, and when he came down from the orgasmic high, all of his nerve endings tingling pleasantly, he was chagrined to hear Leona coughing and sputtering. When he tried to sit up and check that Leona was all right, he was shoved back to the ground by a vicious pounce and pinned. The feral snarl Leona unleashed upon him was perhaps the sexiest thing he'd experienced, yet.

"You're a coward," he murmured, before his mind quite caught up with his mouth. "That's why you refuse my hand... You're afraid. I hadn't thought you were the type..."

The rough, angry kiss Leona shut him up with was exactly what he was after, and Malleus reveled in it, drowning in Leona's heady musk. He groaned as Leona jerked his hips up, resting them on his powerful, athletic thighs before fumbling with the ties of his own pants. It was with a grunt of surprise that he realized he'd pushed so far that Leona spared no thought for easing his entry, simply cramming himself up against Malleus and relying on strength and force to get the job done.

Leona swallowed his cries, biting his lips, and when the ferocious therian was fully buried, he licked away the sting. He didn't stop there. He started licking the corner of Malleus' mouth, his cheek, under his eye... He licked away the dew of tears un-shed. All the while, his fingers rubbed and teased Malleus' nipples, until the painful entry was but a faded memory, and the pleasure of Leona's touch overrode all other instincts.

"Fuck me," Malleus rasped. "Let me have that much, at least."

Leona seemed to struggle with his more animalistic nature for a moment, before his eyes softened and he looked pained.

"Malleus... If... If I thought it was possible, I would—"

"Enough excuses!" Malleus cried in frustration. He didn't care what Leona had to say, unless he was ready to take back his refusal. Anything else would simply hurt too much. "Words are pointless. I want the truth from your body."

With a growl, Leona capitulated, immediately drawing his hips back and thrusting right in again, without mercy. Malleus cried out, his body arching on impact to absorb the sensations coursing through him. The mixed messages of pleasure and pain left his mind confused, and his body interpreted each signal as one, ultimately erotic sensation.

As his thoughts floated vaguely in a haze beyond the rising bliss, he wondered if this was what it had been like for Leona when Malleus took him without heed for his relevant virginity. If so, the regret he had felt for his thoughtless actions was greatly diminished, for Malleus was feeling incredible. He hissed and snarled, rocking his own hips to increase the overall sensation, and let out strange, growling whimpers when Leona pinched his nipples or left scratches around them in the attempt. All the while, an unstoppable pressure rose within him, like nothing he had ever felt before.

"I can't...believe...you're such...a masochist!" Leona groaned, bending Malleus' thighs back further to plunge even deeper.

Malleus didn't respond, his head spinning as an agony of pleasure lingered just out of reach. He closed his hand over the fingers Leona had braced on his chest and pulled, drawing the therian into a messy, breathless kiss. As their tongues connected, the pleasure sparked by their slick friction ignited something indescribable within him.

Just as he was descending from the peak of pleasure, Leona shuddered and moaned, jerking several times before stilling, his breath coming in deep gasps. He looked so poetic like that, slumped in post-coital relaxation with a tiny smile on his lips and a crease smoothing out between his brows. Malleus couldn't help but pull him down for a gentler kiss, holding his lips hostage until the last dregs of euphoria faded away.

His limbs feeling heavy, Malleus grabbed the trunk of a small, thin, tropical tree with bright foliage, pulling himself up to lean back against it and dragging Leona up against his chest. Purring and sated, the therian prince was a dead weight.

*

"Marry me, Leona," Malleus murmured, as the silence stretched out around them, broken only by the babbling of the fountain. 

Sighing, Leona leaned back so that Malleus could see into his eyes when he explained. What he saw was that Malleus' eyes were pleading, though the fear of further rejection was on his brow. 

"Think about it. You'll be a king," Malleus breathed, targeting Leona right in the sweet spot. "Isn't that worth considering?"

"What does a crown mean to me if I can't rule the Savannah?" Leona moaned. He closed his eyes, trying to quell the brief temptation to throw it all to the wind and agree to anything Malleus wanted. "If I was considering it, even a little...that wouldn't be why."

Leona flinched as sharp nails grazed his cheeks, Malleus' soft palms sliding along his skin, cupping his face.

"You love me," the fae affirmed. It wasn't even indicative of a question.

"Malleus..." 

"You love me."

"It doesn't matter!" Leona cried, shaking his head free along with a traitorous tear that somehow crept past his defenses. "I know how crowns work! Faerie might not have a lot of rules but if you're going to be king, you'll have to produce an heir. You can't do that with me!"

There was truth to that which Malleus could not deny, but he still did not back down. When he responded, it was clear to Leona that he had already considered this setback, and had given the matter a lot of thought...perhaps for a whole year and a half.

"I'm going to rule over Faerie for a very long time," he said, his voice calm and assuring. "An heir can wait."

It was instantly clear to Leona what that meant. Malleus was of a race so long-lived, he would watch Leona grow old and crumble into dust someday. He was so powerful, he was in no danger of being cut down by mortal hands or felled by illness. He had no fear of failing to produce an heir by the time one was needed, even if he never touched another being for as long as Leona lived.

"I...don't have any power," Leona reasoned. "This is out of my hands."

There was no way Farena would allow him to marry himself off to a man, was there? Not when there were treaties to be won with queens and princesses... But Faerie was a powerful realm to be allied with... Did it have to matter that Leona would be married to another man? He would never be more than king-consort, but even that position in Faerie carried more power than ruling over a smaller nation in his own right...

What if this had been Farena's plan, all long? Had he set Leona up from the very beginning? It was a chilling concept...and yet, the possibility, however slight, warmed Leona with hope.

"All I ask is that you consider it," Malleus insisted. "Speak with your brother. Tell him how you feel. I know he will honor my proposal if it is what you wish, as well."


	4. Plucked Strings

The winter ball... An occasional Malleus had come to cherish, but one that also filled him with apprehension this time around. All year long, he had thought of little else, knowing that it would either marking a beginning, or an end. 

King Farena had written to confirm his own attendance, as well as that of Leona, foretelling either a formal acceptance or rejection of Malleus' marriage proposal. It was impossible to discern which, from what correspondence they had engaged in since the diplomatic tour earlier in the year.

Malleus had kept himself busy strengthening ties with an array of nations, in the hopeful anticipation that he would be attending Nightraven Academy for the next four years, and be too busy to attend to such duties. If he could simply fulfill his grandmother's requirement of his engagement, he would be free to enjoy the carefree life of a student for a time... For a short while, he would even be able to share that experience with Leona. It was strange to think that Leona would graduate before him, and he regretted not having met the therian sooner, or moved faster to seal the deal so that they could have more time together at the academy, but he would be grateful even for the two short years they might enjoy as fellow students... Assuming the response was not a formal rejection. If it was, Malleus would be forced to forgo his dream of a love match, and turn his sights to marriages of diplomatic convenience.

On this occasion, the queen had erected a massive amphitheatre-like construction of briars and arranged a banquet within. The guest list for this banquet was rather limited compared to the revelers who danced, sang, and made merry in the woods that surrounded it. Malleus was required to personally receive each and every arrival. It was tedious and frustrating, and he was sure this was the kind of royal duty that chafed Leona terribly. He imagined they might enjoy it more if they were to do it side by side, and exchange witty repartee on the rabble of royals and dignitaries between entrances. There was a great deal Malleus imagined he would enjoy best with Leona by his side. 

As it was, the banquet tables were almost full, and Malleus was beginning to give in to despair by the time the object of his affections arrived. As soon as the party from the Afterglow Savannah was announced, Queen Maleficent glided over to Malleus and received the pair, first. 

"My, little Farena... How you have grown," she observed, raking the chiselled therian with an overtly appreciative gaze.

"That's King Farena, now, Your Majesty," intoned the manly lion with great dignity. "Allow me to introduce my younger brother, Prince Leona Kingscholar."

As if her entire agenda was to see how far she could abuse her position before causing irreparable offense, Maleficent never said a word to Leona before briskly lifting his chin, studying his face, pulling down on his lip to investigate his teeth, and holding his ear to peer inside—presumably to inspect cleanliness. When she was done, her fingers returned to Leona's chin and she stared unnervingly into his emerald eyes.

"So this is the cub, eh?" A chuckle frayed Malleus' fraught nerves. "I suppose he'll do. Farena." 

With a nod for the therian king, she drifted off. It was a marked show of just how much power rested on the shoulders of the ruler of the Valley that nobody dared to comment or even visibly react to her outrageous behavior. Except for Leona, who was bristling, his ears looking like porcupines flexing their quills.

Malleus tightly made his apologies and his official welcome, and then breathed the name of the man he wanted for his own. For his part, Leona responded formally and almost followed Farena away, but paused and met Malleus' eyes for a few seconds. 

"I hope to see you at Nightraven this year," he said quietly.

Malleus immediately jumped to conclusions. Was that a hint? It must be. Leona knew he could not attend Nightraven without a betrothal.

From that point on, the proceedings felt far more joyous than onerous, and Malleus rather enjoyed the scheduled entertainment, and delicious fare. He partook liberally of rose wine and even accepted a sprinkling of fairy dust over his desert, savoring the uplifting buzz it instilled in him.

When the feast was replaced with finger food and the tables banished to the walls, creating a dance floor, Malleus noticed his grandmother slip away from the crowd with Farena in tow. His heart began to pound. It was happening. Whatever it was, it was happening.

"It's time," came Lilia's voice, just outside of Malleus' field of vision as his eyes swept the floor for Leona.

"Yessss," Malleus hissed, finally spotting tufted ears facing away from him. A wily selkie was busy fainting into Leona's arms at that very moment. Oh, but the fae folk adored him. How they would rejoice when he was crowned beside Malleus...

Grunting, Malleus instinctively cradled the violin that was thrust against his chest.

"We'll open with your violin solo, and then you can switch to cello for the minuet."

"What?"

"Focus! Stop thinking with your wand and start using your brain again, will you!?" crowed Lilia, sweeping toward the platform with his viola under his chin. Before Malleus could answer, he began to play, chaotically, causing the crowd to part ahead of him until he stepped up onto the small stage.

Malleus followed, lifting his violin into position with a heavy sigh. He had almost forgotten he agreed to play two pieces to start the dancing off. While Lilia went ham on every random note he could drag out of his instrument, Malleus focused in on the sound of his violin, checking the tuning. When he was ready, he glanced toward where he had last spotted Leona, pleased to find the therian watching him with interest, the selkie forgotten a few steps behind him.

Encouraged, Malleus began the first notes of his solo capricci, his violin easily sounding over the alto tones of Lilia's rambunctious bowing. As soon as he began to pick up volume and pace, Lilia bowed out, giving Malleus the center of the platform and letting his protege shine. It was refreshing to perform on the violin. Malleus wasn't often given the opportunity, and he tended to forget how much he enjoyed it.

By the time Malleus transitioned to his cello, the crowd was eager to dance, and the comfortable size and heft of the instrument made for a fun, smooth performance. As much as he valued the violin, it was the cello behind which Malleus felt most at home. He was a little more free with his bow work than strictly necessary, and Lilia threw him a glower or two, but the rousing minuet duet came to a successful end. There were pairs strewn about the floor, laughing and panting, and Leona had moved closer to listen, his eyes trained on Malleus' bow as he mutely fended off invitations to dance. When Malleus descended from the platform, Leona was nearby, waiting passively, if somewhat impatiently.

Before he could shower Malleus with adulation narrowly disguised as insults, Malleus smiled and took Leona's hands as Lilia began a new piece and the regular musicians began to set up behind him. Pulling Leona onto the dance floor to the tune of a folksy slow waltz in 4/4, Malleus led his intended with misleading confidence, feeling infinitely more nervous than he had done onstage.

"You seemed to enjoy the music," he prompted, eventually, when he realized Leona wasn't going to say anything at all, too focused on maintaining his footing.

"You're amazing," the other prince said, simply.

Malleus grinned slowly, convinced he had discovered the key to making Leona speak his mind. The therian was a competent dancer, but it seemed to take most of his concentration, leaving him little brainpower to lie or dissemble.

"I've practiced with a variety of stringed instruments since my childhood," Malleus explained. "I'm most fond of the cello, though violin is the greater crowd-pleaser."

"Oh, yeah? Is there anything don't play?" Leona scoffed.

"Hmmm, no... I play the harp, the lyre... There was that odd little thing called the ukulele Lilia gave me one Yule... I broke it, strumming too hard, but it was fun while it lasted..."

"Wait, so...you actually play all the strings?" Leona asked incredulously as the music shifted to something more upbeat.

"Indeed," Malleus responded, bowing in customary resolution of the dance. "But not to fret... Heh... Unlike Lilia, I'm not much of a violist..." He leaned in and whispered, "My fingers are perfectly capable of striking the same place twice." Chortling as he walked away, Malleus was oblivious to Leona's puzzled silence in the wake of his double-pronged, string humor. 

As much as he wanted to remain by Leona's side, Malleus was afraid he would give too much away if he didn't put some distance between them. All the while they were dancing, all he wanted to do was kiss Leona and drag the answer out of him. 

"Your Highness," greeted Lilia's pet human, Silver, with a bow. "Your performance was enchanting. You must be in need of refreshment." Though he proffered a glass of mead to his prince, Silver did not hand it over just yet. "Please wait a little longer before you drink from it," he said. "There is to be a toast."

"A toast?" Malleus asked, his breath quickening. "To what?"

"I'm sorry, Highness. I wasn't told."

One by one, hands were filled with flutes of mead, until Lilia's playing came to a halt, and Queen Maleficent took his place.

"Dear invited guests," Maleficent intoned, her emphasis on the qualifier that was still a touchy subject, all these centuries after the infamous christening ball faux pas. "It is with great joy and anticipation that I announce...my esteemed grandson, Malleus Draconia, shall attend Nightraven Academy in the Spring."

All at once, Malleus' brain cluttered to a stop, his heart suspending animation in his chest. He was to attend Nightraven? What dd that mean? Why was Maleficent not announcing his engagement? Was she leading up to it?

As the queen went on to narrate the family's longstanding history with Nightraven, Lilia walked briskly up to Malleus and clapped a hand on his shoulder, rising on tiptoe to speak into Malleus' ear. Though his tone was quiet, his words were quick, and they cut through the din in Malleus' stunned mind.

"Don't look so shocked," he instructed. "It's exactly what you think it is, but there are conditions. We'll explain later."

Malleus jerked away, trying to read Lilia's eyes. When he gleaned nothing from them, he frantically searched for Leona, but could see no sign of him... King Farena, however, was standing near the platform, mead in hand and a leering grin on his lips. He saluted Malleus with his glass.

"Thus, my dear Malleus is thrilled to finally accept the generous, long-standing invitation from these hallowed halls of learning. Therefore, without further ado, I insist that we all raise a glass to the enrollment of our Crown Prince in this prestigious school of magic!" finished Maleficent. "Felicitations!"

"Felicitations!"

"What did they agree on?" Malleus growled into his glass. "Why wasn't I involved in the discussion?"

"It was my request."

Malleus almost dropped his half-full glass of mead when a stray tail curled affectionately around his thigh and Leona's voice sounded at his shoulder. A moment later, he caught the therian's scent, previously masked by the cloying sweetness of the mead. He turned, and was once against struck with the handsome figure that Leona cut in his formal wear.

"And what, precisely, did you request?" Malleus droned, projecting outward calm while his insides churned with anxiety.

"I've been at Nightraven for two years, already. I know what it's like to be a student there. You should be free to mingle and make friends...and that will be hard to do if you're tied to me," said Leona.

"Of all the lousy reasons to turn me down—!"

"Malleus!" hissed Lilia, glancing around at all the eyes of applauding guests now trained on the subject of the toast. "Oh, so we're finally going to school, are we? Well! Your first lesson will be to pack away your own instruments instead of leaving it to your servants!" Lilia said, loudly. "Go on! Get your cello! Silver already took care of your violin, you spoiled child!"

Seething, Malleus made his way to the stage, kissed his grandmother on the cheek, and took his cello from where it leaned against its stand near the briar wall at the back of the platform. He packed it in its case and gathered up anything else he needed to carefully pack away once he could spare a thought for it, carrying his music, bow, and stand after Lilia. The little vampire disappeared into the same alcove Maleficent and Farena had retired to, earlier. Leona was already there, seated on a simple wooden stump and drinking down a second flute of mead.

He jumped up when Malleus entered, and Lilia liberated Malleus' musical burdens from his hands just in time to prevent them from being dropped as the two came together in a passionate kiss filled with all the fraught tension of the evening. Malleus wasn't sure what was happening. His emotions were on a roller coaster. First he had hope, then it was dashed, then hope again, and dashed once more, and now Leona was kissing him, anyway, and every one of his senses told him Leona was in love with him, and dying to marry him.

"Oh, for crying out loud! Would you two stop making out for long enough to have an actual conversation!?" Lilia cried.

Clearing his throat, Leona guiltily pulled away, his expression endearingly meek as he glanced at Lilia from under his luscious lashes. "Sorry," he said, gruffly. "I've wanted to do that all night."

"Well that makes two of us," Malleus muttered. "So I must be missing something, because you just told me you don't want to be with me."

"That's not what happened, you dense lizard!" Leona cried, gesticulating wildly. "My condition for marrying you was that we would keep the engagement secret until you graduate from the academy, so you—and I, for that matter—can have a few normal years before we scandalize the entire continent! That's why Maleficent covered with that ridiculous speech about how important Nightraven is to your family and all that rot, so people wouldn't question why she waved the condition of your engagement! Besides..." His ears shifting from their state of backward flattening to drooping slightly to the sides, Leona took on an air of self-consciousness. "We hardly know each other. We could use the time to make sure this is really what we both want... You've hardly spoken to a single person, tonight. I need to know you're not just marrying the first guy who caught your eye, okay? We can get to know each other properly over the next four years."

"Don't you mean, two?" asked Lilia, almost forgotten as he puttered about the instruments in the background.

"Actually... I figured I'd hang around for a while... See how things play out," Leona muttered. "I'm...not big on studying, anyway."

"That's the sexiest thing I've ever heard," Malleus muttered, winding his arms about Leona's neck as he heard only 'four years of school life with Leona.' "So let me just ask this one more time, so I can hear the explicit answer with my own two ears. Leona Kingscholar, have you agreed to marry me?"

"Well, technically, Farena somehow agreed to let me marry you—or maybe orchestrated the whole thing, who can tell...? But yes, Malleus. We are officially, secretly engaged."

A sob and a sniffle interrupted them before they could indulge in another kiss. "My little boy's all grown up!" wailed Lilia, biting his cravat to muffle his crying.

"As is my little brother," observed a deep, elegant rumble. Malleus turned to find Farena casually spying from the entryway. "So, as your future brother-in-law, allow me to warn you, Prince Draconia..." Malleus braced himself for some overprotective threat of bodily harm for the slightest hurt or offense caused to Leona... "Leonas's quite the handful. When he gets uppity, you can either grab him by the scruff, or trick him into thinking he came up with the idea in the first place. Both work wonders." The king's handsome features were illuminated by a gorgeous smile. "Well, good luck with that. I've got some celebrating to do! Won't you join me, Lilia? I have so enjoyed your letters over the last two years. I'd love to discuss some of your opinions on gender politics in greater detail. You made some interesting points about pack behavior..."

Even after the pair of useless chaperones were gone, Leona was growling softly, his eyes narrowed on the opening his brother had retreated through. "That bastard," he said darkly. "Two years... For two years, he was playing me... He let me think we could sneak around together to secure relations between our nations, but that marriage was off the table, completely out of the question... The truth is, I thought he was jealous. I thought that was the real reason he kept stringing me along with pointless proposals from this princess or that... Turns out, he was holding out. When I turned you down...your grandmother got desperate enough to accept his conditions..."

"The secret betrothal...?" asked Malleus, his mind still turning over the events back in the water gardens, and Leona's conviction that their marriage would never be approved, despite Farena's dealings with Malleus and Lilia. "Such machinations, just for that?"

"No. That was my condition. Farena's... Malleus, your grandmother already agreed, but I need to hear it from you. If you aren't willing to accept this, I want nothing to do with it..."

"What is it? What concession did your gold-tongued brother squeeze out of my steel-fisted grandmother?" Malleus asked, genuinely curious. He was sure he had nothing to fear. As long as he could marry Leona, there was little else of consequence to him.

"His condition...was that you take me not as king-consort...but as King."

Malleus shivered with premonition.

"Equal in ruling power..."

"It's a lot to expect, I know—"

"It's perfect," Malleus breathed, threading his arms about Leona's waist and closing the distance between them so he could feel Leona's heartbeat against his chest.

"It...is?"

How hard it was pounding...

"The fae folk love you. I've seen how they gravitate toward you... They fear me, and always will. You and I, side by side, will become the most powerful, respected ruling couple the world has ever seen. So be it. We will conceal our betrothal until we are both graduated...but the moment we are, you will have pride of place beside me, as my husband and king."

Matters progressed rather quickly after that. Leona was encouraged by Malleus' reception of the final hurdle to their engagement, and the fae prince was overjoyed to finally have his wish.

Inspired by his rare, public performance, Malleus proceeded to play Leona's body like a stringed instrument, plucking, strumming, fine-tuning, and fingering until his betrothed was a quivering mass of tension in his arms. Thrumming with need, Malleus stayed himself, his hardness nestled impatiently between Leona's thickly muscled thighs.

"Say the word, and I will lay down and open myself to you in a heartbeat," he promised.

"I want you," Leona moaned. "I want to feel you inside of me... I want to know I'm yours in every crevice of my body..."

That was all Malleus needed to hear, and all he could withstand before he sank into Leona with a groan of fulfilment that had nothing to do with release. It didn't matter who took who, only that their bodies joined in order to bridge their souls. After months of longing, Malleus was home, at last.

Cushioned only by their clothes, he and Leona made love all night long, in every position and variation they could conceive of and execute until well into the morning, when Silver called out hesitantly from the warded entrance with the promise of food and wine...followed by fresh clothes so that Malleus might see off some of the guests who were anxious to congratulate him before leaving.

So it was that the courtship of the fae and therian princes concluded, evolving into an era of secretive assignations and clandestine trysts in every nook and cranny of Nightraven Academy. Leona played upon his reputation for shirking schoolwork to draw out his time, so that he and Malleus could graduate together before shocking the world with news of their engagement immediately followed by a wedding that seemed so sudden, the impeccably executed, grandiose ceremony was lauded an epic achievement. That was only the beginning of the joyous reign of Malleus Draconia-Kingscholar and Leona Kingscholar-Draconia, affectionately dubbed "The Drakings" by their friends, which eventually spread among their adoring subjects and fans, the world over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! I hope you have enjoyed this little take on the reasoning for Malleus and Leona's unusual circumstances among the students at Nightraven!


End file.
